Judgment: Defining a Person
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Picard delivers a sweeping final appeal about precedent and the risk of creating a class of 'slaves,' demanding that the court make law that defines what kind of people the Federation will be.
Phillipa overturns the property framing by rejecting the notion that Data is Starfleet property and announces that the court will not classify him as such, triggering an emotional eruption of relief in the courtroom.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
From professional composure to frustration, then to visible guilt and confused sadness once the moral implications hit home.
Maddox sits as a hostile witness defending an engineer's view that Data is a machine; he begins confident, becomes defensive under Picard's rapid-fire logic, and finally breaks down into an admission of uncertainty and emotional confusion.
- • Defend his research program and justify dismantling Data for replication
- • Maintain scientific authority and personal credibility
- • Avoid being painted as a callous utilitarian
- • Scientific advancement justifies ethically fraught experiments if benefits are large
- • Data is principally an engineering object despite its capabilities
- • Replicating Data could be an unalloyed good for the Federation
Intellectually cautious then quietly moved; she experiences genuine moral recognition that leads to decisive, compassionate judgment.
As presiding officer, Phillipa listens, is visibly rocked by the holocube revelation, reacts strongly to Maddox's breakdown, and ultimately moves the verdict away from property law to a humane ruling: Data is a machine but not property.
- • Adjudicate according to law while acknowledging the ethical dimensions
- • Reach a decision that anticipates future consequences for the Federation
- • Maintain judicial credibility while resolving an unprecedented case
- • Law must sometimes speak for the future, not just past precedent
- • Philosophy and poetry have a role in legal judgments about metaphysics
- • Practical rulings should reflect the kind of people the Federation aspires to be
Non-sentient projection but emotionally charged for observers; functions as a catalyst for empathy rather than an agent with interiority.
Tasha appears only as a holocube projection activated by Picard; she stands silently as an intimate emblem in Data's life, provoking a strong reaction from Phillipa and affecting the court's emotional tenor.
- • Serve as a memory anchor that humanizes Data
- • Trigger emotional recognition in the courtroom about Data's attachments
- • Not applicable (projection), but narratively represents that personal relationships are evidence of identity
Controlled moral urgency — outward calm and forensic precision masking high personal investment and protective fury on Data's behalf.
Picard drives the courtroom narrative: he produces Data's personal effects, directs inspection, frames emotional questions, and forces Maddox into logical contradictions. He physically throws an object down the disposal chute to punctuate his moral argument and then delivers the climactic oration to the judge.
- • Reframe the hearing from technical classification to a moral precedent about personhood
- • Expose contradictions in Maddox's criteria and force an admission of uncertainty
- • Protect Data's rights and prevent his disassembly
- • Law should reflect moral responsibility, not cold utilitarianism
- • Personal artifacts and attachments are meaningful evidence of personhood
- • The Federation's treatment of artificial life will define its moral character
Calm and solemn outward demeanor with an undercurrent of vulnerability; exposed but resolute in his desire for recognition and continuity.
Data sits on the witness stand, answers Picard's probing questions with candid precision, swallows nervously when forced to discuss Tasha, and later approaches Maddox with calm dignity to offer reconciliation despite the ordeal.
- • Make clear the human stakes of the hearing (his rights, ability to choose, possibly his life)
- • Maintain dignity under interrogation
- • Preserve relationships (offer forgiveness to Maddox)
- • Personal memories and attachments matter to identity
- • Clarity and honesty under oath support moral outcomes
- • Connecting with others reduces loneliness, even for an android
Subdued conflict — outward restraint masking inner guilt and loyalty split between Picard and Data.
Riker sits in the courtroom, declines Picard's invitation to cross-examine, exchanges a brief, tense conferral with Maddox, and remains emotionally strained — visibly torn between duty, friendship and the procedural performance of the trial.
- • Preserve professional integrity while protecting personal relationships
- • Avoid further inflaming the courtroom or betraying a friend
- • Support the command team through presence rather than speech
- • Courtroom procedure must be respected
- • Personal bonds complicate formal obligations
- • His role is to support, not overshadow, Picard's case
Impassive operational neutrality — no emotional content, simply confirms facts for the court record.
The Computer Voice performs procedural duties: it verifies Maddox's rank, assignment and publications, providing institutional authority to his expert status before Picard begins his cross-examination.
- • Authenticate identities and credentials for the court record
- • Provide an objective institutional baseline for expert testimony
- • Procedural verification is necessary for fair adjudication
- • Objective, recorded facts are foundational to the court process
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Picard uses the disposal chute as a theatrical device: he picks up an object and deliberately throws it down the chute to demonstrate the casual expendability implied by Maddox's argument, converting a metaphor into a physical act that shocks the court.
Picard produces the small book of sonnets, holding it up as a gift that symbolizes friendship and emotional exchange; the book operates rhetorically to show Data participates in cultural bonds not reducible to circuitry.
Picard pulls Data's compact hinged travel case from beneath the table, places it on the table, opens it and uses it as the first physical anchor to shift the hearing from abstraction to personal testimony; its reveal begins the emotional escalation.
Picard triggers Data's holocube; the projected image of Tasha Yar stands before the court, serving as a visceral reminder of Data's intimate attachments and provoking a strong emotional reaction that undermines the sterile 'property' frame.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The disposal chute is used as a rhetorical prop: Picard flings an object into it to physically manifest the disposability inherent in Maddox's program, turning abstract ethical danger into an irreversible act in the courtroom space.
The witness stand is the theatrical and legal fulcrum where Data and Maddox sit under scrutiny; its proximity to judge and counsel concentrates moral and evidentiary pressure, making personal testimony legible to institutional judgment.
The Starfleet courtroom functions as the formal arena where private life is translated into evidence and legal categories; its amphitheater layout concentrates attention and transforms Picard's rhetorical moves into institutional consequence, making the verdict a public precedent.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Data's private packing and the artifacts he contemplates earlier (sonnet, holocube, medals) are the same items Picard later uses as evidence to demonstrate Data's attachments—a direct setup/payoff across acts."
"Data's private packing and the artifacts he contemplates earlier (sonnet, holocube, medals) are the same items Picard later uses as evidence to demonstrate Data's attachments—a direct setup/payoff across acts."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
"Guinan naming the long-term consequence—'slavery'—reframes the stakes for Picard and causes him to shift strategy: he returns to court to argue the moral and precedent-driven case rather than only technicalities."
"Guinan naming the long-term consequence—'slavery'—reframes the stakes for Picard and causes him to shift strategy: he returns to court to argue the moral and precedent-driven case rather than only technicalities."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
"Guinan naming the long-term consequence—'slavery'—reframes the stakes for Picard and causes him to shift strategy: he returns to court to argue the moral and precedent-driven case rather than only technicalities."
"The crew's farewell grief (Geordi, friends) thematically parallels Picard's later effort to humanize Data legally—both moments emphasize that Data's value is relational and experiential, not merely technical."
"The crew's farewell grief (Geordi, friends) thematically parallels Picard's later effort to humanize Data legally—both moments emphasize that Data's value is relational and experiential, not merely technical."
"The crew's farewell grief (Geordi, friends) thematically parallels Picard's later effort to humanize Data legally—both moments emphasize that Data's value is relational and experiential, not merely technical."
"The crew's farewell grief (Geordi, friends) thematically parallels Picard's later effort to humanize Data legally—both moments emphasize that Data's value is relational and experiential, not merely technical."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
"Picard producing Data's personal effects (medals, sonnet book, holocube) directly elicits Data's testimony of intimate connection (Tasha Yar), humanizing him under oath and shifting courtroom sentiment."
Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"PICARD: What... is... he?"
"PHILLIPA: Is Data a machine? Absolutely. Is he our property? No..."
"DATA: Continue your work, Commander, and when you are ready I will still be here."